This invention relates to the ground-engaging foot for a stabilizer arm of a backhoe or the like.
It has been common to pivotally mount a pad to the end of a stabilizer arm used on backhoes or the like. Such a pad serves to squarely contact the ground over a relatively large area and to provide improved stability when the backhoe is engaged in a digging operation. Commonly, such a pad has a single ground-engaging face which is flat and nonresilient.
The flat, nonresilient face for use on a ground surface not easily damaged, has sometimes had cleats added to the face. This provides greater stability but can seriously damage pavement surfaces. For use on pavement surfaces where protection is necessary a resilient pad face has been used. Such a resilient face is less likely to dig into and damage pavement and also provides improved adhesion against slippage.
Previous stabilizer foot designs have attempted to provide a capability for changing the pad face to suit ground conditions encountered, providing resilient or nonresilient surfaces or cleats. Such face-changing capabilities have taken the form of separate and interchangeable pads, pads with detachable cleats, and pads with covers for such cleats.
A drawback of all previous changeable pad face designs is that at least one, and perhaps a plurality of discrete parts or components must be added, removed, or interchanged in order to select a new ground-engaging face. This necessitates separate storing facilities for such discrete parts until they are needed or after they have been removed and are not immediately needed. Such extra parts are an inconvenience in the field because they can be easily lost or misplaced and yet must necessarily be available if the face is to be conveniently and readily changed between backhoe stabilizing on pavement or on an earthen surface.